The Other Whites of Italy Part One

All too often when we think of Italian wine the first ones that come to mind are the elegant and structured Sangioveses of Tuscany, the crisp and delicate Pinot Grigios of the north, or the bold and powerful Piedmontese reds from Barolo and Barbaresco. The sweet whites of Asti and the Prosecco's of the Tre Venezie seem to steal the remainder of attention to Italian whites. The Italians may be partly to blame, as they have a glut of grape varietals no one outside of Italy grows (damn them for being different!), and the label can often be confusing. Here are a few great Italian whites with some suggestions for each. As always you can find all of these wines at the Tacoma Boys in Puyallup.

Whites of the Piedmont

There are two significant whites from the Piedmont, if you exclude the wines from Asti [Moscato d' Asti and Asti (formerly called Asti Spumante)].

Arneis - Piedmontese for "little rascal", this grape lives up to its name as a notoriously difficult grape to grow. Virtually extinct as recent as the 70's (only two growers making a commercial wine from the grape), this grape has rebounded well. It is grown in two DOC areas in the Piedmont, Langhe and Roero. Arneis' tend to be very full bodied and carry a nice stone fruit and green apple as well as very bright acidity when done well. Look for:

Tre Donne Roero Arneis
Bruno Giacosa Roero Arneis

Cortese - You will rarely see this grape named on the wines for which it produces. Instead you will most often see them labeled Gavi, after the town from which nearly all of them are produced. Gavi's are one of my favorite food wines, as they are immensly versatile. They carry a steely dry and clean character while playing that line between a honeyed sweetness with fresh apricot and melon and amazing acidity. When well done, Gavi can be as remarkable a wine you encounter. Look for:

Tre Donne Donna Bianca Gavi
Pio Cesare Gavi

More to come in the next post including:
Campania, Tre Venezie whites not called Pinot Grigio, Umbria, and some others.